Eagle Product Inspection (Eagle), an expert in advanced x-ray product inspection and fat analysis systems, demonstrated the benefits of inline meat and poultry inspection solutions at IPPE 2017.

The rapidly evolving regulatory landscape demands that product safety be made a top priority, from the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements. Advanced x-ray systems can help processors to remain compliant, to protect both consumers and brand reputation, and at the same time offer attractive returns on investment. Profit margins remain narrow in the meat and poultry sector, therefore systems that enable those margins to be widened are highly desirable.

Eagle x-ray inspection and fat analysis (FA) systems boast the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry, providing inline inspection capabilities that enable processors to optimize production line efficiency, maximize uptime, extract maximum value from raw materials and ensure that products entering the retail supply chain are safe for consumption. The comprehensive nature of x-ray inspection also makes products that have been inspected in this manner more attractive to retail customers.

In addition to the detection of physical contaminants such as metal fragments, glass shards and some plastic and rubber compounds, the meat and poultry industry’s most common concern is the detection of bone. As a specialist in the meat and poultry industry, Eagle understands the daily challenge bone detection presents to processors. The company’s experts have developed a range of systems to suit a wide array of applications, all capable of detecting calcified bone down to 2mm.

Eagle’s stand at IPPE features the FA3/M, a fat analysis system which uses Eagle’s 3rd generation refinement of Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measurement technology based on the innovative and proven-superior single-beam geometry. The FA3/M uses DEXA to discriminate between fat and lean portions of 100% of product throughput, providing Chemical Lean (CL) measurements to better than +/- 1CL accuracy on all meat products.

In addition, two of Eagle’s trusted partners in the meat and poultry processing field – Foodmate and FPEC – are demonstrating Eagle x-ray inspection systems at their stands. Foodmate is demonstrating the Eagle Pack 400 HC Poultry Optimized, designed to meet the need for precise bone and contaminant detection, which is critical for compliance with stringent retailer specifications and food safety regulations. FPEC is also showcasing a Pack 400 HC, designed specifically for chub and other packaged meat inspection, which demonstrates the versatility of the range. Both systems provide superior contamination detection and automatic rejection of foreign objects at speeds of up to 60 meters per minute (200 FPM).

David Farmer, Sales Manager at Eagle Product Inspection, comments: “The meat and poultry business is at the core of Eagle’s offering and IPPE is the perfect platform for us to highlight the benefits of x-ray inspection to the North American market – both in terms of contaminant detection for objects such as calcified bone and also for fat analysis. Eagle systems are designed and built to be 100% fit for purpose, by people with an in depth knowledge of the environments in which they are placed. It is this that gives Eagle the tools to offer the lowest TCO and the highest throughputs in the industry.” 

For more information, visit www.eaglepi.com.